To The Crookston Times readers,

It is with regret that CherryRoad Media announces the closing of The Crookston Times

Our company is dedicated to the preservation of community journalism. Since the purchase of our 1st paper in late-2020 to today, we have prided ourselves on our ability to fight the difficult battle that newspapers face in today’s digital society. Unfortunately, that battle cannot always be won.

The Crookston Times has struggled in recent years to find its footing in this community. Since purchasing The Crookston Times, CherryRoad Media has been unable to avoid financial losses every month. The paper was losing money when we bought it, and it continued to do so. We must now come to terms with the fact that we do not have a path forward to sustainability.

And we thank those who have supported us.

RYLA Camp 2022 held at UMN Crookston

2022 Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) Camp leaders (Photo by Jess Bengtson) Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) Camp is being held at the University of Minnesota Crookston July 10-16 with dozens of high school students from around the region participating in activities, educational sessions, service projects, socials and more. The 2022 group is pictured here.

Thomasson Series: ‘This Land Is My Land’

As we go back to our discussion timeline—interrupted by my educational “Preamble”—the dominant assertion has become “this land is my land.” As suggested in the Preamble, there are now so many nationalities and age ranges represented, and so many conflicts have emerged, that “Go west, young man” has become separatist fighting words. The language of the Constitution about equality and shared values and memories of pre-“American” values have weakened. As George Santayana warned, “Progress depends on retentiveness . . . when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are con-demned to repeat.” Indeed, we need to add another caution, granted us by Helen Keller: “I learned that the power to rise in the world is not within reach of everyone.” With that came John Soule’s hopeful, yet cautious, charge: “Go west, young man, go west, and grow up with the land.” Even as we look to that hope, we also have to recall the bias enshrined in Meriwether Lewis’ assertion: “We were about to penetrate a country two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civilized man had never trodden; the good or evil it had in store for us was experiment yet to determine.” For breadth I add this political observation from Alexander Hamilton: “Civil liberty is only natural liberty, modified and secured by the sanctions of civil society. It is not a thing, in its own nature, precarious and dependent on human will and caprice; but it is conform-able to the constitution of man, as well as necessary to the well-being of society.”

Some Like It Hot

It’s hot out there. Real hot. How hot? Well, it’s since the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the previous one. And, since there’s not a big concerted push to do much about it, you should expect the trend to continue. It’s going to be hot. Smoking hot. Like the end of “Raiders of the Lost Arc” where the guy’s face melts off hot. Like Icarus hot.

DNR: Status, trends report released on Upper Mississippi River System

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and natural resources agencies in four other states, have released a report on the ecological status of the Upper Mississippi River.

Move Polk County is back in 2022

MOVE. POLK COUNTY (MPC) is back in action! MPC is hoping to encourage all and everyone to get their MOVE ON to a healthier lifestyle this summer! We know how important it is to get out and be active. Regular movement helps our body, mind and spirit! Just 30 minutes of activity a day can help reduce stress, increase energy levels, boost mood, improve sleep, maintain a healthy body weight and build healthy muscles. In addition, regular physical activity reduces the risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

AP: Judge strikes down most of Minnesota’s abortion restrictions

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A judge declared most of Minnesota's restrictions on abortion unconstitutional on Monday, including the state's mandatory 24-hour waiting period and a requirement that both parents be notified before a minor can get an abortion.

Summer magic shows scheduled July 28 at Crookston, Fertile libraries

The Crookston and Fertile libraries will host pirate-themed magic shows featuring popular magician "Magic Bob" this month sharing magic and storytelling. The magic shows will be offered free-of-charge and are ideal for elementary and middle-school age children. The Fertile Public Library's show will take place on Thursday, July 28 at 10 a.m. in the auditorium down the hall from the library and the Crookston Public Library's show will take place on Thursday, July 28 at 2 p.m. in the library.